Right on, Mr. Phipps
I also defend Basic Instinct to people. I like it because of the art direction (visual homages to Vertigo), as well as the character of Catherine Trammell not being a 2D cutout character. I also like her and Michael Douglas' cat-and-mouse game. It's just entertaining.

My family watched Life Aquatic solely on my suggestion. Each of them ended up hating it (my humor sensibility is quite different than theirs), and I always have to defend/explain it to them.

Those Shoes
For some reason, I could see Manolo Blahnik making those, and then everyone (or most women) would be clamoring for them. That's what Disney should've done: co-branded with Sex and the City. It'd have been a perfect mesh of two commercial evils.

Hard Candy
I wish I could get back the time spent watching that one.
(I do concur that it was well-acted, but the sole melodrama, as you rightly pointed out, was enough to overpower everything else for me.)
(Also, I thought the production design was REALLY heavy-handed.)

At first glance, I thought it was Joan's doctor fiance.

I'm now going to picture Pete sitting in the dark with his rifle until the beginning of next season. So that'll be about 14 months.

That, to me, was a little predictable, to the point of I couldn't believe it would be taken in that direction.

One too many gimlets? Didn't she only have…one?

File this
under Future "My Year of Flops" Candidates. But will it be a fiasco, secret success or flop? Stay tuned.

Thanks!
Reading this interview made my morning. I'm now really looking forward to Synecdoche, NY.
I thought it was interesting that he said its basis was a real-life horror movie. I'll be keeping that in mind while watching it.

Anne Slowey
Didn't she have something to do with Nina Garcia getting fired/leaving Elle? That should have told you something about her personality right there.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua
I was talking with a girl I know this past weekend, and she mentioned that she wanted to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. As in, pay $8.50, or whatever the going rate is, and see it in theaters. I had had doubts about her intellect/taste before, and then she opened up her mouth and I realized that,…

Thoughts
I know others mentioned it, but I was a little surprised to see Peggy acting…well, guy-like. What with the whole smoking (I can't remember seeing her smoke before), imbibing and movin' on up into a bigger and better office, I half-expected her to sit down slouching with her legs apart.

Also
Was one of the guys who Duck was meeting with in the restaurant the father from "The Nanny"? Charles O'Shaugnessy or something like that? It sounded exactly like him.

O
O was recently listed in your inventory of Shakespeare adaptations, and appears again here. How often does that happen, something appearing in2 (or more ) Inventory lists recently enough to be remembered?
I just thought that was interesting.

WOW
Just to add my voice to the crowd: Great episode.
Peggy's new haircut: a resounding yae from me, she looks so much more adult. I think Kurt also gave her some tips on attracting men, because you notice that when Pete was trying to talk to her when he came back, she wasn't really having any of it. Peggy said that…

"I'm into rope"
Of course you are, Kenley.

Paul
I'm feeling like something bad is going to happen to Paul while he's with Sheila down South. On the phone, he said something like, "Nobody's ever gotten shot down there". He also referenced that it was a scary place earlier, and I think there was one other thing too. But yeah, I can see him getting shot, either…

VW Commercial
Did Crispin Porter & Bogusky put that out? From what I hear, that firm is known for resurrecting deceased stars' images to shill for their clients' products.

Anyone else think
that Pete is secretly glad he's able to work with Peggy on a more equal level? That's kind of what I got from it, not that he's concerned about her career or anything.